Lightscar's Discovery
by Poppyflower of Stormclan
Summary: After encountering a group of rogues on a border patrol, Lightscar finds a tiny kit wandering alone in the forest. He takes her back to camp, but some cats aren't happy an outsider in their home. And it seems that the rogues want their missing kit back...
1. Chapter 1: The Rogues

Lightscar pushed his way through the thick, protective bracken tunnel, trying to ignore the stabbing pain the wound on his shoulder created. The other patrol members trailed behind him, each with scratches all over their pelt. Still, despite the somewhat severe wounds, each of the cat's eyes glittered with triumph and pride. Lightscar himself felt especially proud of his patrol, and the efficient way it drove off the invading rogues.

"What happened?" exclaimed Moonlight as he rushed forward to inspect the cats. "You look like you've been attacked by Tigerclan!"

"That's not too far from the truth." Ashwind licked the blood off her sleek gray fur. Moonlight's green eyes grew even wider.

"Looks like you'll have to tell me what happened," meowed Molestar as he ducked his way through the crowd of cats. The Stormclan still looked weak after the greencough that gripped most of the cats in its clutches. He swayed slightly on the spot, tail drooping sadly.

"Wait, Molestar!" cried Dustwhisker, rushing forward, "I have to check on their wounds first." He nodded at the patrol members. "Come with me to my den."

Lightscar was about to follow when Molestar meowed sharply, "Not you, Lightscar." He froze in place at his leader's commands. "You stay to tell me and the clan what had happened. Dustwhisker opened his mouth to argue, but Molestar cut him off.

"I promise you can have him later," he meowed gently, "It won't take too long." The small, dusky cat reluctantly nodded, then headed toward his den with his patients trailing behind him, muttering excitedly about what happened.

Molestar motioned for Lightscar to follow him into his den, which was deep in the far corner of camp, second-most protected part of camp. As they entered the small yet comfortable cave, Lightscar noticed some disturbing details, like uneaten pieces of rotten fresh-kill, or clumps of brown matted fur. But before he could examine these things more closely, Molestar swept his tail into his way and gently nudged him into the far corner of the cave den.

"So," he meowed at last when they had settled in quite nicely. "What happened that made even Swallowtail, our best fighter, get so wounded?"

Lightscar began recounting the events that had occurred that day, starting from when they found the suspicious paw-prints, then the ambush. He shuddered as he remembered the pregnant she-cat, and the wild and desperate look in her eyes. He still felt the gaze of her intense eyes, scared yet determined to protect her unborn kits. Lightscar didn't want to admit he had spared an enemy rogue, so he kept that to himself.

"… and so we chased them out, far away from any of the clans," he finished. Molestar nodded slowly at his retelling.

"Rogues, eh?" he muttered absentmindedly. Something about his voice worried Lightscar. "How many were there?"

"About five, six maybe?" Lightscar suddenly felt a sudden pain in the wound on his shoulder. He twisted around to inspect it, and was surprised to see the wound gushing crimson blood all over his pelt. He licked it, gagging at the revolting taste of his own blood. He felt hot, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Molestar sway violently. He immediately whipped around, just in time to see the noble leader of Stormclan collapse. Lightscar rushed over to his side, ignoring his own pain. He examined Molestar carefully, and was surprised to feel a hot wave of heat emit from him. Too hot to be normal. Starting to panic, he checked Molestar's breathing. It was low and ragged. He felt his fur rising.

"Sunclan help us!"

**Hi guys! This is my first ever fanfic, so I hope you like it! Also, please remember to review and tell me if you want the chapters to be longer or if you have a suggestion of what you want to happen next.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors! It belongs to... My cat! Just kidding. All credit of the idea goes to the original 4 authors. I only own this particular plot.**


	2. Chapter 2: Molestar's Death

Ashwind stalked out of the medicine cat's den, wrinkling her nose at the putrid smell the herbs that were plastered over her fur made. She was fine, as far as she could tell, but Dustwhisker insisted on covering her pelt with cobwebs and marigold. She flicked her tail in frustration. Now how was she supposed to hunt and patrol, when every cat and animal in the forest could make out her scent? At least Lightscar didn't have to go through that horrid treatment.

As soon as Moonlight saw her (and probably scented her, too), he rushed over to greet her. Ashwind felt slightly amused at the young warrior's curiosity.

"What really happened?" he asked, eyes wide.

"I'm pretty sure Lightscar and Molestar will tell you soon enough." Ashwind answered, letting her tail run over Moonlight's fur.

"But that seems like a lifetime away!" he pouted. She let out a loud purr at his whiny meow.

Ashwind started to meow a reply, but was cut off by a loud wail coming from Molestar's den. Her fur standing up, she identified the wail to be Lightscar. _What could he be wailing about? _she wondered. Bounding towards the den, she peeked in to find Lightscar's shoulder wound bleeding like crazy, and Molestar laying on the floor.

"What happened?" Ashwind shivered at the sight of her leader helpless.

"H-he j-j-just collasped!" Lightscar stammered. Ashwind immediatedly backed out without thinking, then ran as fast as she could towards the medicine den, ignoring the strain she put on her sore muscles. She burst into the den, breathless, and found Dustwhisker sorting through his herbs, apparently done treating the rest of the patrol. He started when she appeared in his den, gasping for breath.

"What is the matter?" Ashwind quickly explained the situation, marveling at how calm Dustwhisker kept throughout the whole thing. Before she could even finish, he had already started gathering herbs to help, muttering to himself.

"It must be the greencough," he mumbled darkly, "We'll need catnip for that." He paused, looking at his supply of herbs. "These are my last leaves," he sighed dejectedly, "I hope this newleaf brings more herbs."

Ashwind shuffled nervously, afraid what would happen if they didn't get there on time. "Hurry!" Dustwhisker flicked his tail in acknowledgement, then picked up some catnip and borage leaves and pushed through the entrance of the den. Ashwind bounded after him, urging silently for the small medicine cat to pick up his pace. After what seemed like countless moons, they finally reached Molestar's den.

"Dustwhisker!" Lightscar looked up. Dustwhisker ignored his cry, and padded past him to Molestar, who was shivering slightly despite the newleaf warmth. He bent over and examined Molestar carefully, then chewed up the borage leaves and forced it into his mouth. He sat back, and looked at Lightscar.

"You need treatment too," he meowed. Lightscar shook his head silently. "Don't argue."

Suddenly, a sharp meow from outside jolted Ashwind from her trance. She suddenly remembered that Thunderstorm, the clan deputy, had gone out with a hunting patrol and didn't know about this. Just as she was about to stand up, Thunderstorm himself poked his head into the den.

"What happened?" Ashwind flicked her ears, half-annoyed that he couldn't just wait outside, and half-amused because that was the third time anyone had said, "what happened". She opened her mouth to explain, when Molestar started convulsing horribly, the fit shaking his whole body. Lightscar backed away with a horrified expression on his face. Soon, his shaking calmed down to a slight tremor. Finally, he stopped moving completely, and his breathing ceased. Ashwind widened her eyes. "Is he dead?"

**Hi guys! I was so happy that 4 of you reviewed! EEEEEKK! FOUR! Anyways, sorry for the lack of update, I was very busy... Hope you enjoy!**  
** I was going to put Thunderstorm/Thunderstar now becoming the leader in this chapter but I was lazy. :P** **And my hands were stiff from the cold.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS! THEY BELONG TO THE WONDERFUL 4 ORIGINAL AUTHORS!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Order

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Tall Tree for a clan meeting!" yowled Thunderstorm atop from the topmost branch of the tree. The sunhigh sun lit up his fur, giving him a glowing look. Cats filed out from their dens and started towards the ancient, oak tree, mumbling along the way about the deputy.

"What is _he_ doing up there?" murmured the warrior, Hawklight, who was sitting next to Ashwind, "And where's Molestar?" She shook her head.

"You'll see." she replied. Hawklight grumbled loudly, but didn't protest any further. He instead turned his attention to Thunderstorm, who was speaking.

"Cats of Stormclan," he began, "As you can tell, Molestar is not here. Unfortunately, he has joined Sunclan because of the after affects of the greencough. He was on his last life. Let us bow our heads in memory of our noble leader." Everyone fell silent and bowed their heads in grief. Several wails broke the silence. Thunderstorm ignored them momentarily and continued. "But as the end comes, a new beginning rises. I will be traveling to the Sun Tunnel tonight and will receive my nine lives and my new name."

"Thunderstar! Thunderstar!" Chants broke out, quite loud since Thunderstorm was a popular choice as a leader. He flicked his tail for silence, but looked mildly pleased.

Ashwind narrowed her eyes as he meowed, "Now to get right to business. My first order as the new leader of Stormclan-" _What? _she thought, _He hasn't even gotten his name yet. _She noticed several other cats looking surprised, including Swallowtail and Addertooth "-is to eliminate the rogues that attacked Lightscar's patrol."

Besides her own astonishment, Ashwind saw that most cats looked very enthusiastic about this command. _What does Thunderstorm think he's doing, giving out orders when he's not an official leader yet? _Her pelt prickled like ants were crawling into them. _Maybe I was wrong about him, _she thought, _Maybe he isn't going to be a good leader after all. _Suddenly, she noticed that some cats were looking at her weirdly. She quickly focused her attention back to what Thunderstorm was saying.

"I would like some of the original patrol members to participate in _this _patrol," Thunderstorm swept his eyes over the gathering cats in front of him. "Nutblaze, Fernpetal, Duskpelt, Lightscar and..." his eyes gleamed as he spotted Ashwind where she sat"...Ashwind."

**Oooooo! Foreshadowing! Sorry guys, this chapter was really short. I couldn't think of anything else to go with it. Sad face. :( Oh well. Thank you to all of you who reveiwed! Frozenstream of Oakclan, don't worry, the kit is coming right up in the next chapter!** **Oh, and nice profile pic! ;)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Warriors, I would make Lionblaze mate with Heathertail.**


	4. Chapter 4: Poppykit

As Lightscar followed Nutblaze through the dense, jungle-like forest, he was vaguely aware of Ashwind's gaze fixed onto him. The scent of marigold still haven't wore off from her fur, so it was easy to detect her. Lightscar felt uncomfortable under her close gaze, so he bounded ahead to pad next to Fernpetal, who was leading the patrol. She was also on the patrol that was raided, so she knew where to go.

"Here," Fernpetal stopped, almost making Lightscar crash into her. He righted himself, and recognized the place they were at. He scented the air.

"The rogues' scent's weak, but they're close. It seems that they have moved on to Flameclan territory," he reported, though something bothered him. Although the rogues' scent was not so strong, something else was in the air. But he couldn't place his paw on what it was...

"Mouse-dung!" cried Duskpelt who's warrior ceremony was only a quarter-moon before and therefore, still a young warrior. "I wanted to fight them!" He unsheathed and sheathed his claws in a threatening manner. Fernpetal let out a big purr.

"Silly," she scolded him gently, looking at him with love in her beautiful green eyes, though Duskpelt didn't notice it. "You won't be so eager when you actually meet them." She ran her tail along his fur. "You'll be trampled!"

"Will not!" Duskpelt retorted. "Besides, I'm a warrior!" He puffed out his chest at this, causing him to lose his balance and earn another amused purr from Fernpetal.

Lightscar listened to this exchange, all the while racking his brains for what the scent was. Suddenly, out of nowhere, he heard a wail. He's been around more than enough kits to know that it was the distressed cry of a kit. He pricked his ears up, trying to pick up where the sound was coming from, but all the commotion was getting to his ears. "Quiet!" he barked, frustrated. The others fell silent. Ashwind stared at Lightscar strangely, but Lightscar ignored her. He crept forward, following the sound along the mossy trees. As the sound grew louder, he recognized it to be a she-kit.

"What is that sound?" whispered Fernpetal, forgetting all her early cheerfulness.

"A she-kit..."

"A what?"

"A she-kit..." Lightscar trailed off as he spotted a thin bundle of fur a few fox-lengths in front of him. He stopped, stunned as he peered at it. _It looks just like the pregnant she-cat..._ he thought with a jolt. His clan-mates padded in front of him, looking with hostility at the kit.

"Hey! You!" yowled Duskpelt, fur rising. "What are you doing here, in Stormclan territory?" The kit looked up with big, forest-green eyes. It squealed, and scrambled back in attempt to get away from the mad tom.

"Why don't you get out of here, _kit_." That was Ashwind. She snarled, revealing long, sharp teeth.

Fernpetal pushed to the front of the group, staring down at the kit. It shrank back, expecting another angry retort. Instead, Fernpetal bent down. "It's alright, little one." he heard her say to the kit. It relaxed under her gentle gaze, and stared in wonder at the older she-cat. Fernpetal straightened, and meowed, "It's only a kit, Duskpelt." Lightscar was surprised that she actually defied him.

"A kit of a rogue, probably," He snorted loudly, "Or have you forgotten that? We should just leave it out here to die by itself." He didn't seem to care that the kit could hear every word he said, and was plenty scared.

Lightscar shook himself out of his trance and stepped forward. "No," he meowed firmly. Ashwind stared at him in surprise, but he ignored her again. "I think we should bring it, er, _her_ back to camp. We're not savages, you know," He added when it looked like Duskpelt was going to protest. Fernpetal nodded satisfactorily. He bent down and whispered, "What is your name, kit?" She looked up in surprise.

"I-I don't h-have one," she stammered. Lightscar purred at her reluctance, and fear.

"There's nothing to be scared of," he picked her up by the scruff of her neck. "You will be Poppykit, then," he decided, meow slightly muffled. "Poppykit, the Wanderer."

**There you go. That's how Poppykit was found. Yay! The best part of the story is about to begin! Anyways, please review, and tell me some names for my warriors. I'm running out of ideas!**

**Disclaimer: I totally don't own Warriors.**


	5. Chapter 5: Who did it?

**HELP PEOPLES! SEND IN MORE OC'S! BTW, virtual cookies to everyone who is kind enough to review! (::) (::) Yum! Chocolate chip! ;) Anyways, enjoy! Expect more chappys soon, since summer's here. YAYYY!**

**Many thanks to starry-lightning, who reveiwed and gave me the two names: Sageheart and Starryleaf! Thx!**

The sunhigh sun beat down onto the sunbathing cats, warming Ashwind's pelt. Not that she needed it, of course. It was hot enough as it was! Still, it was fun to lay around after all the patrols are done and you don't have anything else to do. She groaned inwardly at the thought of patrols. Right now, all she wanted to do was relax.

Out of the corner of her eye as she groomed her pelt, Ashwind saw Poppykit emerge from the nursery, stretching out her tiny limbs and yawning hugely. She felt a stab of pity for the little kit as she saw Featherfall snarl at her viciously when he got close. Poppykit backed away nervously, then fled back to the safety of the nursery.

"You're not feeling bad for the kit, are you?" came Aspenwing's sleepy meow.

Ashwind flicked her tail. "Well, she _has _been here for almost a moon now, and still some cats reject her." She sighed. "Sometimes I do sort of feel bad for her," she added to herself. Aspenwing cocked her head slightly, and grunted in agreement.

"Though she is rogue kit, you know."

"I know," murmured Ashwind. She suddenly stood up, fed up with lying there doing nothing. Which was funny, since only a couple heartbeats before she was complaining about doing, well, _anything_, "I'm going to see if Thrushclaw is organizing any patrols." Thrushclaw was the new deputy Thunderstar appointed. Most cats didn't approve of this choice, but as the warrior code said, the leader's word is law. Ashwind couldn't shake off the feeling that Thunderstar wasn't the best leader the clans had ever seen.

Padding towards the gray-brown tabby tom, Ashwind heard him meow, "Birchfire, you lead a patrol near the Leafclan border. Take Sageheart, Cedarflight, and Ebonypaw with you." The pale tom nodded his assent, and led the following cats towards the bracken tunnel out of camp. Ashwind immediately bounded forward.

"Wait!" she panted, screeching to a stop. "Can I join your patrol?" Birchfire looked towards Thrushclaw for permission. Thrushclaw nodded grudgingly, then turned to bark a nasty comment to Snowpaw, who had tripped over a tree stump and dropped his mossball. Ashwind felt bad for the small apprentice as she followed Cedarflight. _Who knew Thrushclaw could be so cruel at times? _she thought to herself. She nudged Cedarflight, who was next to her.

"What?" grumbled the dark brown tom.

"Don't you think Thrushclaw's too strict?" whispered Ashwind.

"No, of course not!" exclaimed Cedarflight, clearly mortified at the thought. "What makes you say that?"

Ashwind forced herself not to roll her eyes. "Well, _mouse-brain,_ he yelled at Snowpaw just because he accidentally tripped and dropped his mossball."

"So?" Cedarflight stopped to stare at her. "It _is _his own fault." Ashwind sighed.

"Never mind," she grumbled. "Come on. We're lagging behind." She bounded forwards, leaving Cedarflight looking mystified.

Soon, they reached the Leafclan border. Ashwind wrinkled her nose at their overwhelming pine sap scent as Birchfire marked the border. He flicked his tail, signaling that they go. They walked along the border, remarking the places the border was weak, and checking for any invaders. Finding none, they quickly headed back towards camp.

_Well, that was quick, _thought Ashwind, padding quickly towards the bracken tunnel she had just went through. Pushing through, she was greeted by...

"Starryleaf!"

The black and grey tom lay in the middle of the clearing, crimson blood pouring around him. Ashwind felt agitated. Who would do this?

**Well? How was it? I know this was a really boring chapter, but... :( I promise next chapter will be MUCH better... At least I hope so!  
**

**Disclaimer**

**Me: Hey guys! Guess what? I made up this awesome series called Warriors and-  
**

**Lightscar: Did not! Warriors is Erin Hunter's!**

**Me: Wow, Lightie. Thanks for ruining my career of Warriors fanfiction.**

**Lightscar: At least you own the plot.**

**Me: Hmm... Good point!**

**Lightscar: Remember, Warriors is not Poppyflower's!**

**Me and Lightscar: BYE! **

**Off to the side- Poppykit: Hey! Poppyflower's MY future name!**


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